A store where the suspect in the Colorado supermarket massacre bought his gun reportedly said the sale was legal after he passed a background check.
Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, 21, bought his Ruger AR-556 AR-15 style at the Eagles Nest Armory in Arvada, about 20 miles southeast of Boulder, 9NEWS reported.
The store owner, John Mark Eagleton, said the accused sniper passed a background check before making the purchase.
“We are absolutely shocked by what happened and our hearts are broken for the victims and families who are left behind,” he wrote in a statement to the media.
“Ensuring that all sales in our store are legal, have always been and always will be the highest priority for our business,” continued Eagleton.
“With respect to the firearm in question, a background check of the buyer was conducted as required by Colorado law and approval for the sale was provided by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation,” he wrote.
“We have and will continue to cooperate fully with law enforcement authorities as the investigation continues,” added the owner.
Alissa bought the Ruger on March 16, shortly after the firearm was legalized in Boulder, where he allegedly massacred 10 people at a King Soopers supermarket six days later.
The Syrian native – who faces 10 first-degree murder charges and one attempted murder charge – appeared in court on Thursday for a procedural hearing in the mass murder case.
He remains in the custody of the Boulder County sheriff, but is now being housed in a penitentiary outside the county after the prison staff learned of the security concerns and threats.